Frequently asked Questions

Home Care is any type of health service provided at the patient’s home. The services are provided by a multidisciplinary team and can involve simple or complex procedures, carried out as a replacement for or a continuation of hospital care.

Patients of all ages and complexity levels can receive Home Care. We have different programs to meet the needs of each patient.

Home Doctor works with more than 60 health insurers throughout Brazil. Contact your health insurance company and ask if they cover home care for you or your family members. If you wish to hire our services privately, access store.homedoctor.com.br or our app Home Doctor available at App Store or Google Play. If you have any questions, please contact us at comercial@homedoctor.com.br.

Yes, you can! However, there are some eligibility requirements for our Home Care services. Find out more by contacting us. Access store.homedoctor.com.br or our app Home Doctor available at App Store or Google Play. If you have any questions, please contact us at comercial@homedoctor.com.br.

After our nurse performs an assessment, a Home Care Plan is determined based on clinical criteria and care objectives. The Home Care plan determines which staff will assist the patient, the frequency of appointments, as well as the necessary drugs, materials, and equipment.

After your health insurer authorizes home care service, we begin the implementation process, that is, we prepare all the necessary details to carry out the Home Care Plan. We schedule staff visits and the delivery of equipment and supplies. However, we call the family beforehand and go over the schedule so there are no misunderstandings or information gaps.

De-hospitalization means transferring the patient from a hospital unit to home care. Most Home Care patients have just been discharged from the hospital. With our services, treatment can be continued according to the technical needs of each patient. In the home environment and monitored by a multidisciplinary team, we administer medications, change bandages, monitor mechanical ventilation, and treat other clinical conditions.

For the patient the main benefits are:

• Shorter recovery time
• Reintegration into the family environment
• Lower risk of complications, especially infectious complications
• Autonomy and quality of life
• Training in health care and self-care
• Humanized service
• Patient and family satisfaction due to home support

For the hospital, the main benefits are: 

• Bed availability for more complex cases
• Targeting investments toward technology and surgical equipment
• Shorter hospital stays for chronic and stable patients
• Lower risk of hospital infection

For health insurers, the main benefits are: 

• Lower readmission rates
• Resource optimization
• Lower costs

The two main modalities of Home Care are Home Hospitalization and Home Assistance.

Home Hospitalization is similar to a hospital stay. Patients with daily intervention and surveillance needs are cared for at home through human resources, equipment, materials, and medications. Our Home Hospitalization programs are 12-hour, 24-hour, and 24-hour with Mechanical Ventilation.

Home Assistance is comparable to outpatient care, in which a specific treatment is provided by a multidisciplinary team at home. Home Assistance patients have less complex clinical cases.

The patient must meet 3 criteria: clinical, social, and logistical.

Clinical:

– Have a written referral from a physician

– Be clinically stable

Social:

– Have a 24-hour caregiver, whether a family member or a hired worker

– Housing requirements (electricity, ambulance access, and a clean environment with fresh air)

Logistics:

– Residence in the Home Doctor coverage area

Nursing assistants or technicians prepare for their profession with a two-year course. They perform technical procedures at the patient’s home, such as: administering intravenous and intramuscular medications, airway aspiration, complex would dressings, etc.

Professional caregivers complete a short course on meeting basic patient needs, such as bathing, skin hydration, feeding, ambulation, changing position in bed, etc.

Caregivers can also be family members.

Only nursing assistants or technicians carry out these procedures at Home Doctor.

The patient will be discharged from Home Care when their therapeutic objectives are reached regarding rehabilitation, recovery, or clinical stability. We also perform follow-up after discharge in case of hospital readmission or at the request of the patient/family.